The Virus
by Divine Mistress
Summary: Robin must visit his past. A horrible creature threatens the safety of the earth, and our only hope is the titans and a band of rogue mutant teenagers.
1. Chapter 1

It had been raining for several nights as if a prophesy had just been released. Much to the Titan's joy, things had been quiet otherwise. The most they had to stop in the past few nights was the occasional break-in, and they were thoroughly enjoying their free time.

However, as with many good things, it did not last long.

It was another damp, dreary night when Raven, interrupted from her usual meditation, sensed a new presence in her room. She pretended to remain in her state, as to try and scope out the opponent's weakness. Its gender was a mystery, but it overall had a human-shaped body. She could tell it was covered in fur, and had a tail with pointed, alien-like ears on its head. Whatever it was, it was sneaky, and any creature other than Raven would not have noticed its presence. It walked up to a table and placed something on it.

"Azarath, Netrion, ZINTHOS!" Raven chanted, the table was lifted and used to throw the creature through the window. She walked over and saw it shift into what appeared to be a large bat, although it was hard to tell in the darkness. As it flew into the distance she noticed the slight gimp in its flight, and the blood on the broken window panes. Robin ran in.

"Raven!" He shouted, "What happened?"

Raven picked up an envelope that had fallen off the table, "Get the others, something weird is going on."

_And now for the titan's theme song!_

_When there's trouble, you know who to call ..._

_What?_

_Oh, right, the story._

_Sorry._

Sunrise came and the Teen Titans gathered in the living room. Each one had received the same odd envelope, although Cyborg was busy analyzing the blood that was left on the broken glass.

"So ..." Began BeastBoy, "Who wants to open theirs first?"

"Perhaps it is a trap of the booby kind?" Said Starfire. BeastBoy raised an eyebrow.

"I think she means booby-trapped." Said Robin, "And I doubt that's the case. If the creature intended to trap us, it wouldn't have given an envelope to all of us."

Cyborg walked in, "Hey, guys. I have the results."

"And?" Said Robin.

"It's ... weird. Whatever it is, it's female, but I tested the DNA with that of every creature on earth, and it doesn't match any of them ... directly. If anything the DNA is consisted of codes from several different animals, including humans. Actually, the closest match I found was with that of BeastBoy's blood."

"Sweet!" Said BeastBoy, "I have a sister!"

"For all we know, your 'sister' is evil." Said an annoyed Robin, "We need to open these envelopes before we assume anything.

"I already did." Said Raven, "You're not going to be happy." She tossed him one of the letters. Robin read it in a matter of seconds before crumpling it up and walking out of the room.

"What does it say?" Asked Starfire.

"It's a cry for help." Said Raven, "From Gotham city."

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**Author's Notes:**

My first fanfic! WAAAH! Please don't kill me TT

In case you're wondering, the creature in Raven's room was, in fact, a shape-shifter like BeastBoy, but she has a few extra powers. This will end up as a factor later, so pay attention!

I will end this footnote with a hope to see you again note. There will be a bit more action later on, so don't worry if it seems to drag. Meanwhile, consider this: if Robin were sent to a future without the Titans, what would the world be like?

Maybe you'll find out ;)

Adieu!


	2. Chapter 2

_Dear Teen Titans,_

_It is under a matter of great importance that we write to you today. Gotham City is at its worst and we write to you as our last hope. It started as an experiment that was intended to be evil, and got too smart for its own good. However, the situation we are in cannot be explained in one letter, please come here and we shall explain. Do not attempt to find or contact us, if you come to Gotham, we will find you._

"And they are all the same?" Asked Starfire, "I do not understand. Why is Robin angry?"

"It's a long story."

"I think we have, time, Cyborg." Said BeastBoy, "Should we wake up Raven?"

"She knows the story." Said Cyborg, "Besides, we shouldn't disturb her." He sighed, "Are either of you familiar with Batman?"

"Robin's old partner?" Said BeastBoy, "What about him?"

"They had a falling out right before Robin came here. I know they were once close friends, but I don't know what happened to break them up, and just _try_ to get either of them to talk about it. They lived in and protected Gotham, but, more or less, Batman was boss."

"Paper's here." Robin walked in waving the newspaper; he tossed it onto the couch while Raven woke up.

"Robin?" Starfire chose her words as carefully as possible, "Are you-"

"I'm fine." Robin poured himself some coffee.

"Then we are-"

"Not going anywhere."

"Robin, will you get over your pride long enough to use your brain?" Said Raven, "If we're their last hope, you can already assume that something happened to your old partner."

"We weren't partners," Snarled Robin, "I was a sidekick." He sat down on the couch and snatched the paper out of BeastBoy's hands, "Gimme that!" he snapped.

"I just wanted the comics." BeastBoy whined.

"Here," Robin threw the funnies page at BeastBoy. He looked at the rest of the paper and suddenly began reading an article intently. He chugged his coffee and threw the paper down, "Pack your bags, we're leaving."

Thoroughly confused, the Titans left the room. Starfire, however, managed to sneak a quick glance at the title that had interested Robin.

_Billionaire playboy Bruce Wane gone missing._

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**Author's Notes**

Probably shouldn't get excited over just 3 comments, but since I wasn't expecting any comments, then ... YAY! 3 comments!

Here is chapter 2 (duh). I will try to add a new chapter at LEAST once a week. (keep in mind that I do have a life lol).

Oh, also, Halloween is around the corner =3. The Mistress loves getting all dressed up and eating candy with her friends. This year she is a dark fairy. When you comment, please tell me what you are being! It's so much fun. I mean, unless you're "too old" 0-o


	3. Chapter 3

"LAND!" Screamed BeastBoy at the top of his lungs, "LAND IT, LAND IT, LAND IT!"

"I can't land in the middle of the freakin' city!" Yelled an annoyed Cyborg.

"I thought I told you to go before we left!" Snapped Robin.

"I don't have to go; I just have to get OUT! LAND!"

"FINE! We'll land in that field." Cyborg steered the Titan flyer to a field just outside of Gotham. The silence and darkness was eerie to everyone, only the occasional streetlamp could be found, the city was dead.

BeastBoy ran like the wind out of the ship. He barely hesitated before becoming a bloodhound and running into the city.

"BeastBoy, wait a-god dammit!" Robin snapped his fingers, "Titans, go!" the others followed as best they could after the runaway BeastBoy.

BeastBoy ran straight into the city without stopping, his canine tongue lolled out of his mouth as he panted his was into an abandoned subway. The Titans followed but stopped behind a wall when they heard BeastBoy turn back and talk.

"Okay, I'm here! You can stop now!"

"Wonderful." Said a female voice, "Where are the others?"

"I dunno. I think they were following me. How did you?"

"I share a telepathic bond with all non-human earth creatures. I wasn't sure weather it would work on you, but it was worth a shot."

Robin walked out of his hiding place, "Who are _you, _exactly?"

"Forgive me, Robin." The female bowed, she was what appeared to be an average human, with amber eyes and short, red hair. She wore a black corset with black gothic pants, "You may call me Flamethrower."

"I take it you know our names." Said Raven calmly.

"We know you only too well." A male voice said. Another creature came from the shadows; he was human-shaped with blue scales covering his body. Leathery bat wings flapped behind him and his cool crystal eyes were nothing short of mystical, "I am Drake, and I think you have already heard of Tiger."

"Is Tiger the one who called for our help?" Asked Starfire.

"That would be me." A furry female limped out. Again, she was human-shaped. Her body was covered in orange and black striped fur, her whiskers twitched and her tail flicked back and forth. Her torso and right leg were tightly bandaged, "You gave me a scare, and I won't underestimate the Titans again." She said.

"Oh, sorry." Said Raven.

"We're here for that explanation." Said Robin in a serious tone, "What's going on? Why are things so quiet?"

Tiger and Drake looked away, Flamethrower smiled slightly, "I'm afraid we cannot accommodate much, but you can sit on the floor as we tell out tale."

The Titans and the others sat, and Flamethrower began, "We were not always as you see us today. Once, we were normal teenagers like anyone else. Gotham was thriving on the day we were captured by The Joker.

"He had a virus designed to mutate the cells in our bodies, giving us otherworldly powers. Those who survived the cruel experiments became his slaves. We were forced to submit by a mind-control collar that he placed on us the second we were fully mutated. It was only recently that a few of us were freed."

"I can take it." Said Tiger.

**-FLASHBACK MODE-**

_**A/N: Words appearing in italics and quotation marks **__"like this"__** are clips of Tiger narrating.**_

The panic alarm of a bank went off right as a rhinoceros bulldozed its way through the wall of a vault. It turned into Tiger, in her regular form, and began ripping open safety deposit boxes and loading itself with jewelry and money.

A cloaked figure jumped from the ceiling and confronted Tiger, "If it's jewelry you're looking for, there's a sale at Macy's."

Tiger turned around and growled, her snarling teeth a reflection of pure evil, her eyes a reflection of pure sadness.

"_Regardless of how much The Joker controlled us on the outside, he could not control our feelings. I didn't want to harm anyone, and it didn't take a genius to figure out I was being controlled against my will."_

Tiger dropped onto all fours and pounced onto Batman like a cat. Batman swerved every slash and bite but never attacked. Tiger's mouth somehow resisted the collars influence.

"Fight … back."

"Who are you?"

"Sasha … Black."

"The missing girl?"

"Collar … Joker … DIE!" The collar took control again, she ran at Batman full-speed with her claws extended. Batman took out a throwing star and swerved to the side, cutting the collar from Tiger's neck.

Tiger collapsed to the ground, now that her mind was back in control, her body realized how exhausted she was.

**-END OF FLASHBACK MODE-**

"When I came to, I was on top of a building." Tiger continued, "I never even got a chance to thank him for freeing me."

Drake began talking, "Next I came, but I was simply terrorizing the streets. Batman fought me long enough to cut off my collar, and then left. Tiger and I met up and established this hideout, and more came with the same story: they fought, they lost, and they were free."

"In your letter, you didn't mention The Joker." Robin pointed out, "You said something about an experiment that went wrong."

"That or it went perfectly, depending on your perspective." Said Flamethrower, "Which is where I come in. I was more or less The Jokers bodyguard, I never saw daylight, but I witnessed the creation of an evil. It was on one fateful day that he attempted to create something using only the virus itself, with no host. It reproduced faster than expected, and quickly broke free of its glass containment chamber. In the explosion, my collar was shattered, The Joker was defeated, and the monster was intent on evil. And a few days ago, we witnessed the fall of Batman."

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**Author's Notes:**

I'm sorry that took so long updating XP. My internet was down.Please forgive?**  
**

I probably could have kept going, but I really need to go to bed. Plus a bunch of you probably thought it was dragging, which is fine, I'm not really good at writing fight scenes.

I guess I'll proofread this and then sleep. Man, I'm tired. Drake, Flamethrower, and Tiger's powers will be explained in the next chapter, and you *might* meet a new character (I'm not sure, we'll see how long it ends up being) I'll give you a hint, though; she'll have power/personality similar to what you would have if you combined a ghost and a vampire. Sound interesting? Haha, we'll see ;).


	4. Chapter 4

Flamethrower's hand lit on fire and slowly spread up her arm, "I'm what you might call a pyrotechnic, I control fire. I also have the power to summon animals at will, but that's not nearly as interesting."

"I could be referred to as being part dragon." Said Drake, "My wings grant me the power of flight, I breathe fire and have incredible strength. Plus these scales are stronger than any armor."

"I'm just a shape shifter." Said Tiger, "sort of like BeastBoy."

"What do you mean _'sort of'_?" Beast Boy inquired.

"I can do this." Smirked Tiger. She grew four legs and scales, along with horns and wings.

"Dragon, bat, of course!" Said BeastBoy, "But can you do this?" He became a T-Rex.

Tiger shifted back, "No, but I can do this." She became a griffin.

Flamethrower looked as annoyed as Robin, but left the two teens to their game, "Tiger can shift into any animal, real or mythical. Unfortunately, extinct ones don't count." She observed BeastBoy become a Pterodactyl and Tiger become a Pegasus.

"You implied that there were others besides you three." Said Raven, "I can tell that we are not alone."

"Some prefer to remain hidden." Said Drake.

"Why?" Asked Starfire, "Are they ashamed of their powers?"

"Ashamed, afraid, embarrassed. We don't talk about it."

"Regardless, it's almost-CUT IT OUT!" Flamethrower screamed at Tiger and BeastBoy they both returned to their neutral state, "Regardless," She continued, "You should all get some rest."

"But, it's almost daylight." Robin pointed out, "Shouldn't we be looking for The Virus?"

"Day is the most dangerous," Flamethrower explained, "The only way we've lived this long is by avoiding the day as much as possible."

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As nice as it was for the others to offer The Titans their most comfortable abandoned subway benches, BeastBoy still found it hard to sit still. He turned onto his back on the cushioned train seat and decided to take a walk. He went out of the broken doors and saw Tiger sitting outside looking up at a grate. Sun shined through it, it was probably the only sunlight Tiger got to see.

"Can't sleep, either?" BeastBoy sat down next to her.

"Guess not."

Awkward pause time …

"So … I see that leg's healing up well. Hehe."

"Yeah, it feels a lot better today."

Awkward pause time …

"Dude, no offence, but …"

"Hm?" Tiger looked away from the grate and made eye contact with him.

"This … doesn't really seem like a life …"

"Regardless of the high cost of living, it seems to remain a popular activity."

"I know, but …" He tripped over every word, "It's not really … a life, 'cause … you're stuck down here all day, and … you're afraid to go out half the time."

"Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"Yeah, and that's the point, cause-"

Tiger placed her finger over BeastBoys mouth, "You talk too much."

And as they reached for each other a loud crash came from outside. The sound of people screaming could be heard over what sounded like several cars being smashed in midair.

Aaaaaannnnnddddd … awkward pause time.

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**Author's Notes:**

Just FYI, if any of you have a problem with BB and Tiger's relationship, TOO BAD! It's my story and I'm not changing it *evil laughter*


	5. Chapter 5

Paused in mid-kiss, Tiger didn't take her eyes off of BeastBoy, "We should …"

"Good idea."

Tiger boosted BeatBoy out of the grate and climbed up herself. There was a teenager outside floating in midair. She wore a black robe, her eyes were blue and long, black hair flowed out all around her. My moving her arms, she lifted another car and threw it into the ground.

"Try to get behind her and cut off the collar, I'll distract her." Tiger told her companion, "And don't hurt her, if possible."

BeastBoy nodded and became a hummingbird. Tiger ran around in an attempt to catch the girl's eye.

"Hey, ghost-lady! Your mother was an exorcist!"

The girl continued to smash cars.

"Oh, that's just as well. You couldn't hit me with a semi!"

The girl looked down at Tiger and descended to the ground, lifting a Toyota.

"Oh, sure, _that_ got your attention." Tiger became a tiger and jumped around to avoid being squashed. The girl continued to pick up whatever mailboxes and trash cans she could find and throw them, "Can't touch this!" Tiger mocked.

The hummingbird-BeastBoy flew towards the girl's neck. Almost ready to become a lion and bite off the collar, the girl turned and stared right at him.

"Eeep!" He screamed (or whatever sound hummingbirds make when they're scared). The girl waved her arms again and disappeared.

"What the heck?" BeastBoy became himself, "Where is she?"

"Anywhere she wants to be." Tiger said ominously.

"You're no help!"

Tiger felt herself get punched in the face. She fell to the left, rubbing her cheek. She barely had time to think before getting socked again. Desperately, she scratched at the air, but it was like fighting blind. It's hard to defend yourself when you can't see your enemy.

She felt something wrap around her neck and tighten. What a way to go, strangled by an invisible person. Her vision became blurry when she felt something slimy on her face. The girl let go and she saw a green T-Rex standing in front of her.

Gross … it spit on her.

The dinosaur turned into a lion and pounced on Tiger's attacker. She saw him slash at the girl's neck and turn back into BeastBoy.

Tiger shook off the spit like a dog and walked over.

"Sorry," Said BeastBoy, "kind of the only way I could tell where she was."

"It's fine." Tiger smiled, "Where were we?"

BeastBoy grinned and placed his hand on Tigers shoulder at around the same time Robin came running out of the vent.

"What happened?" He asked.

Awkward pause time.

"Idiot!" Flamethrower yelled at Tiger as she ran out of the open vent, "Never stay out longer than necessary! Now grab the girl and get back inside!"

Tiger and BeastBoy carried the girl into the subway. Flamethrower followed after picking up the broken collar.

Everybody, including the other Titans, gathered in a large room. It had a bunch of tables and shelves, along with some microscopes and tools for examining and building things. Drake was sitting at one table examining the broken collar closely. He had explained earlier that he was trying to find a way to shut down all the collars at once, in order to free his friends.

"Recognize her?" Flamethrower was referring to the girl who was now sitting on the table next to them.

"We went to school together." Tiger explained, "Her name is Anna."

"It looks like she's some sort of ghost." Cyborg was examining her, "Hard to tell, though. I don't exactly have 'ghost' on record."

Anna stirred slightly, Tiger walked over and looked down, she opened her eyes.

"Morning."

"I'm free?"

"Yeah, it's me, Sasha, but call me Tiger. Are you Anna?"

"It … it's Phantom now."

Phantom got up and looked around, "Who are you?" she was referring to the Teen Titans.

"We're the Teen Titans." Robin explained, "We're here to help."

"We need it."

Drake gasped and fell back in his chair, catching everybody's attention. The collar that he had been examining was projecting a tiny hologram of a cloaked figure, with a hood pulled over his head so you couldn't see his face.

"Hello, Titans." Said the hologram, "Yes, I know you are here. I can assume that my former minions have you up-to-date on me? Good. I have a proposal for you, then. You see, I have something you want, and you have something I want. I want you little friend; what did she call herself? Flamethrower? Well, regardless, if you deliver her to me, I promise to free all of your little mutant friends. I'll even let Batboy and the Jester go. Nothing up my sleeve, honest. If you wish to discuss my generous offer, come to my office at the corner of Fourth and Cook. Be there by midnight tonight or I will revoke the offer and, hmm, shall we say, your friends will expire in their usefulness? Ta-ta for now."

The hologram zapped out and left the crowd speechless.

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**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for taking so long. Really sorry. Seriously sorry. I don't moke excuses, I just say I'm sorry and hope people forgive me. Oh, sure I HAVE excuses, but I won't say them. Lol, I'll shut up now.

Publishing two chapters to make up for it, though.


	6. Chapter 6

As if the group of teenager had any choice, they left to meet The Virus. Flamethrower, although she was taking the most risk, knew that The Virus was not joking around. She wasn't going to let her friends die, and convinced everyone to come.

They approached the building, although it wasn't as if Robin hadn't already guessed where they were headed.

"A cryogenics laboratory?" Starfire indicated the sign above them.

"It figures," Robin sighed, "that place used to do human experimentation, but they were shut down a long time ago."

"There's probably still a bunch of chemicals in there, though." Raven pointed out, "Things one would use to make weapons."

"We aren't staying out here to ponder it." Demanded Flamethrower, "Let's go."

They entered the lab, coming into what was once a reception area, but now had all the walls knocked down and looked like a big battle arena. Large machines sat against every wall. A groan came from what, a minute ago, looked like a black lump in the room.

Robin ran towards it and turned it over: it was the unmasked Batman. Surprise would have swept over the group at his true identity had they not already been either tensed for battle or scared of where they were.

Robin replaced the mask, mostly out of respect, "Batman?"

"Robin, it's a trap!"

Several figures leaped from the darkness and surrounded the group. A tall figure wearing a robotic mask like Darth Vader stepped forward and appeared to be laughing.

"Tsk, tsk, Robin. I didn't expect you do bring so many people. I was only planning on taking a few hours to force your surrender; now how long will it take? And here I had so many plans for tomorrow."

"We will never surrender!" Starfire declared. She suddenly felt herself being pulled forward into the hands of The Virus. If she could see his face, she was sure he would be smiling.

"Well, aren't you an over-confident one?" He held her with one hand by her cheeks, "If I were you, I would worry less about fighting and more about making me happy so that I might avoid harming that pretty little face."

Starfire's eyes glowed green and she grabbed his arm with both her hands, releasing her usual attack. He dropped her and stepped back, screaming in pain.

"That was a mistake, pretty one. Now I won't hold back." He snapped his fingers and the figures in the room flew, ran, and slithered into battle.

Cyborg was taken on by a harpy-like girl with a sonic screech that almost made his electronic eye crack.

BeastBoy and Tiger were confronted by a foe that could teleport himself in a manner of seconds, disappearing when they were about to attack and reappearing behind them.

Flamethrower and Drake, as luck would have it, were confronted with an enemy who controlled water.

Starfire found a boy who had powers very similar to hers, and matched her in both speed and strength.

Raven and Phantom were doing well for themselves, but were taking on four people at once.

"And, you, Robin," The Virus jumped in the air and appeared to be suspended there, "you are mine."

Robin chucked several throwing stars at The Virus, but he dodged each one of them in mid-air. He landed on the ground and a bright flash came out of his hand, leaving Robin temporarily blinded. When his eyes focused he was being lifted into the air by his cape. He managed to take out his staff and attempted to hit The Virus, who didn't even flinch as the staff broke apart against his head. Robin found himself being dragged across the room and thrown into what appeared to be a cryogenic pod. Before everything went dark, he saw how the battle was going outside.

They were losing.

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**Author's Notes**

Second chapter as promised. Do you like it so far? PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! T,T


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